Kakashi, Orchid and Raven: Finals Failure
Kakashi Pov
The school here was pretty amazing, they had their own ballroom which was currently all spruced up for the finals test tonight. I was here as a guest to get an idea of what to expect since I would be taking the class as soon as school began again next year. The people around me were a mix of various kinds of vampire and non-vampires who were interested in learning more about the race or what it meant to be one. I was still dealing with the repercussions of my perhaps too fast decision to be turned by my new girlfriend. It was a choice that I still didn't regret but I was learning that I had made the choice too soon. There were other questions that I should have asked before I went through with it, oh well live and learn, hindsight is twenty-twenty after all.
This event was a formal dinner and dance, a perfect way for the vampires to show just how much they had learned from the class. The non-vampires who were part of the class had been paired up with a vampire and given a set of instructions to follow. These instructions ranged from being the perfect dinner date for their vampire partner to intentionally causing a scene that their partner would be expected to handle or fix. I'd been warned that some vampires were more strict and or formal about how they took care of an issue.
I had been warned that the worst I could expect to see was a student getting slapped for an extreme breech of behavior by the partner who was correcting them or taking care of the issue. During real events among the stricter more traditional vampires houses there were times when one might expect to see someone killed if the situation called for it but those were extreme and rarely ever were offenses taken to that level. Alucard had assured me that such extreme measures would not be an issue tonight since this was in fact a school event and therefore other non-class individuals such as myself had been invited to observe and get a feel for things in a controlled environment.
I had come in alone and already given my regards to Alucard and Ruby, now I stood over near the snack table while the rest of the guests and class members arrived. I watched and soon a pattern began to emerge. Those who were vampires gave a very formal greeting to Ruby and Alucard, while the non-vampire partners gave a slightly less formal greeting. There eventually was a third group which consisted of vampires who came in and gave a formal greeting followed by hugs and casual conversation, when they stayed with Ruby and Alucard I realized they were the teachers of another of the vampire classes being offered at the school. When all of the expected people were accounted for the announcement for dinner was made and people started to filter into the dinning hall in the next room. I found Zack, Gaara and Raven and stayed close to them as we made our way in, they were all a part of the class and though they were a little more formally dressed than I was it made me feel a little less out of place. I sat next to Raven at the table while Zack and Gaara ended up several seats down from us.
"Thanks Kakashi." Raven said to me once we were seated.
"What for?"
He gently nodded his head towards a girl just a few seats away on the other side of the table, one of his fan followers I guessed. She wasn't bad looking with long medium brown hair and hazel green eyes, but I knew that Raven didn't have much fancy for most women, least of all those who acted like fan-girls. The girl was busy talking excitedly with another girl beside her, the other one had short dark hair and an eye color that I couldn't make out from this distance and angle. Dinner soon arrived in the form of silver serving trays that were set in the middle of the table, the lids were lifted and taken away. The choice of dishes was astounding, everything from mashed potatoes to roasted meats, stews, fish, soups, salads, fruits and baked breads. Not knowing how to react myself, I waited for Raven and watched him. Several moments passed and then there was movement father down the table, the tension that seemed to have been building lifted and people began to reach for the dish nearest to them or asking their neighbor to pass something.
"What was that pause all about?" I asked Raven while I helped myself to the beef roast in front of us.
"Waiting for the teachers to be served first. They all had dinner plates that were pre-made and set aside for them in the kitchen, we had to wait for those to be brought out to them."
"How interesting, you really have learned a lot from this class then?"
"Yes, it's been a huge benefit. I don't like some parts of it but most of it is bearable." He said taking up his fork.
"The girls?"
"Yeah. Most of the time it's not so bad, but there's this one who 'out ranks' me so I have to be nice to her, she creeps me out."
"Which one?"
"Same one."
I looked back at the girl with long brown hair, while Raven started to eat. She was still talking with the girl beside her, hardly paying us any mind at all. I started to eat as well and enjoyed a pleasant conversation with Raven through dinner. When we were nearly done I asked, "So who is your human partner for tonight?"
"I don't have one. Putting anyone with me would have been stupid, possibly even gotten them killed."
"Raven." I chastised thinking he meant that he'd sooner kill them than put up with one of them.
"Not me," he said catching my tone, "Them."
"You really think that they'd kill each other over it?" I asked a little skeptical, were they really that bad?
"They've had to be stopped during class practices a few times, so yeah."
"So what is your test for tonight then?"
Raven smiled, "Issabelle is going to ask me for a dance."
"Issabelle? Isn't that…?" Issabelle is one of Alucard's lovers, Alucard is a very powerful and very old vampire, who just happened to be teaching this class.
"Yep."
Soon after that dinner was dismissed and once the teachers had filed out of the room everyone else got up and filtered back into the ballroom. Alucard seemed to have disappeared but Ruby, Issabelle and Demitri were all standing together near the front entrance from the dinning hall. A grand stage was now visible behind them where before it had been curtained off, a gentle soft music was being played by the band that seemed to be made up of skilled students, and then people started going quiet. Whispers ran around the hushed room but I could only catch pieces of what was being said.
"Isn't that…?"
"Why is she…?"
"Is he smiling…?"
"What gives her the right…?" this was one of those two girls from dinner I noticed.
"Is he leading her…?"
I finally caught sight of what was going on through a break in the crowd. Alucard was back and with her arm laced through his, Orchid was smiling as she was escorted into the room by him. They joined the rest of the high ranking vampires near the stage and Orchid greeted each of them in the way one would an old friend, while being greeted and welcomed in return. Alucard asked her for a dance, which she accepted, which just started the rumor mill up again. I saw Issabelle start forward through the crowd, people stepped aside for her as she made her way. She was after all a member of Alucard's family, one of his lovers and she was a teacher for the other vampire class. Raven stayed put as she approached and he looked only slightly nervous as she reached him and smiled.
"Raven would you be so kind as to share this dance with me?" she asked sweetly.
"I'd be honored to." He responded like a true gentleman, as he offered her his arm. I smiled to him as Issabelle laced her arm through his and led him away. Other students bowed lightly as they crossed back towards the front of the room.
"That's so cute." Said a voice beside me. I turned and found myself looking at a young lady, I instantly recognized her as the girl from the table that Raven's fan girl had been chatting with all through dinner.
"I thought for certain that you were going to be the one to ask him for a dance." She sneered gently.
"It's part of his test." I replied
"Oh, so you don't go that way?" How to answer that one? Raven and I were in fact dating but did he want his classmates knowing? She didn't wait for my answer though, "So who is your date tonight?" She leered.
I now recognized the behavior, she was flirting with me, "I'm not in the class."
"I know, but who are you with?"
"I… my mate couldn't make it tonight." At least now she knew that I was taken.
"Oh, that's too bad. Would you maybe share a dance with me?" she asked echoing Issabelle's words eerily.
"Thank you, but I'd rather not." I told her politely, to me the dismissal was clear.
"Awe, but you looked so lonely over here now that Raven is gone."
"I think that it might upset my mate so I'd really rather not." Dammit woman go away... she was being quite pushy and I didn't like it.
"Who is your mate anyway?" She said as she suddenly grabbed my arm, "I wouldn't leave you all alone at a dance like this." I looked up as a flash of movement caught my eye behind the girl and saw Orchid talking with the girl who had been bothering Raven during class. If she would just look over here for a second...
My vampire instincts were still new to me, but there were certain things that just kind of come to a vampire all on their own. Was she hinting at what I think she was? It sounded like she was talking about taking over my mate bond or something. I hadn't been allowed to bring any kunai with me tonight, but I was not weaponless and my instincts were screaming at me to put this upstart in her place. I flicked the file in my mouth to a more usable position. I could feel orchid heading this way, but could not tell if she knew or not, I could not take the chance.
"I can do better than a mate that can't even be bothered to show up for a dance." I could sense Orchid had stopped moving after that statement and some of those around us had started whispering quietly and moving away, why?
She still had my arm and I felt her stance and grip change. She was getting ready to drag me off, the file was between my teeth now.
"Kakashi? Is everything okay over here?" I heard as Orchid came to my side, oh thank god!
"Orchid, how nice to see you again." I said, my tone and body using signals left over from my anbu training to convey my desire to get away from this girl, to my surprise Orchid replied with a simple affirmative gesture.
Orchid was now standing in front of us looking at the girl who still had my arm, her tone sharp and cold "Do you really think that is appropriate behavior considering that he has a mate?"
The girl did not let go as she responded defiantly, "His mate isn't even here." Oh boy... if the fact that the once whispering girls had gone silent was anything to go by...
"That does not give you license to act on permission that was never given." Orchid's tone and posture was threatening, an under tone in her was certainly telling the girl to let go of me or else.
Raven reappeared at that moment, likely having sensed his sister taking off her energy dampeners which causing her true capabilities to be known. "Kakashi, Orchid is everything alright?"
Then he noticed the tension in me, he offered me his hand and when I didn't take it, he realized that it was because I couldn't. He knew that I was uncomfortable and wanted out, I wonder if he could sense who the girl was "Miss Orchid?"
"Yes?" she asked trying not to snap at her own brother, a testament to her current mood, my mate was her best friend and she was seeing this as a territory infraction.
"May I take Kakashi with me for a dance?"
Orchid softened slightly for a moment and looked at Raven, "Of course you may." There was some amount of relief evident in her tone.
"Excuse me." I said to the girl.
She finally let go of my arm and I moved towards Raven. As I took his arm and we moved away I heard Orchid speak in harsh tones to the girl, "Alucard will hear of this and you will fail this class regardless of prior marks, understand that if this had been anywhere else I would have killed you for your transgressions. Good Night." Orchid growled at anyone who got to close as she stormed away.
Raven kept me close to him for the remainder of the night, which thankfully passed without further incident. I noticed that girl and the one who had been bothering Raven were also missing, as was Issabelle.
